Wednesday, January 30, 2008

How To: Ultimate (almost) Free 200" TV


Do Not Throw Out The Old LCD-monitor! - Click here for more free videos

This is the ultimate super hacked monitor, You have no idea how cool it is to have your very own personal cinema in the comfort of your own home and for a few bucks (trust me a 2nd hand school overhead projector isn't that expensive) you too can have a MASSIVE screen.

Now this project took me about four hours to set up properly (and hook up the LCD to the projector) and i have to admit i got the projection screen free but i have been able to project a 20 inch monitor screen up to 200 inches comfortably without too much fuzzing.

For a hell of a time combine this project with DVB-T player (for free Digital TV) , a decent sound system and get an old fish tank (properly cleaned) mix in with last weeks project and a few beers and get yourself a bucket of popcorn and you have a night in to remember. And don't forget this is a PC monitor so feel free to give it a shot with MMORPG's and enjoy gameplay on a whole new level.

NOTE:
#1.This project may be stupidly easy but don't forget to get yourself a dust cover for your LCD as dust can damage it.

#2.The projector glass will get exceptionally warm (especially in older projectors) to try to raise the LCD off the glass itself with a layer of reasonably thick clear plastic (about 1cm) or on a ventilated wooden or plastic frame with an access port for cooling or your LCD screen can and will melt Note in the film the metal interior of the monitor and a cooling fan (left on while the projector is active) were used to stop this happening.

#3.One more thing play all TV and DVD's in as high a definition as you can as the projection process does expand the pixel size and can blur some icons and images at low definition to almost unrecognisable degree.

TOTAL COST FOR BUILD: $53.50 (US) or £22.40 (UK)

Broken AS-IS 20" LCD HD monitor: $25 (including shipping from ebay)

Quill Type 7-20511 overhead Projector: $16 (including shipping from ebay)

1x cooling fan: $5 (new from PCworld)

1x Tin of Matt white paint for Projection wall: $6 (local DIY store)

1x paint brush: $1.50 (local DIY store)

Time and effort for a stupidly cheap 200" TV : Priceless (about 4 hours in the real world)


not too bad considering it costs $2500+ for a standard RGB projector of this size.

Additional:
With a little work and a little effort an XBOX 360 can be hooked up to this thing without too much loss of definition, and believe me there is NOTHING quite like playing Halo3 or CoD4 or even Assassins Creed on a screen this big but dont forget to hook it into a thumping sound system to get the full effect.

WARNING:
One last piece of advice the LCD must NOT touch the glass of the projector as it can and will melt leaving you with a useless pile of melted plastic and a useless project and yourself a little out of pocket.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Daily Blogg: oh boy, a whole new week...


There isn't anything quite like a bloody Monday to ruin your week, Yes i know apathy for the dawn of a new week is nothing new for me but today has been a goddamn killer.

As you know i "fixed" my laptop last week and was unfortunately forced to send it into my local PCworld for extensive reconditioning.

Now fortunately for me i know the guys up there quite well and they are attempting to get my baby back up and working as soon as possible, but having to wait for parts is putting something of a cramp on my social life.

Y'see i normally sit in the Pub or the Library or the local coffee shop or even at work and surf quietly while i do most of my normal writing, reviews & work on the available desktop and transfer data to a 2gig memory stick to my little lappy. Not being able to work on the go is killing me I'm a very social person and i can safely say that being stuck behind a desk is not for me.

Seriously i feel like im missing an arm, i miss the reassuring weight of my laptop in its bag on my shoulder, i miss being able to just work anywhere but most of all i miss being able to play Warcrack at work!

oh well, only a little longer to wait...

...i hope...
Powered By Blogger